"The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery."

Francis Bacon

Workflow

CONCEPT IDEA.

Communicating concept can be done literally, verbally or visually. Sometimes a rough concept will be given, and concept artists are responsible to refine and developed the concept further. This often requires an in depth understanding of the specific subject, in order to achieve believable concept to the audience. Concept artists normally should have good general knowledge of everything especially science and history, therefore artists who have great curiosity about our world can surely create good concept.

DESIGN.

Designs come from the artists’ visual vocabulary, and it needs to match the concept perfectly. Because lines, shapes, colors and other elements of design are able to give a certain feel and mood to the audience, concept artists need to bring out the right mood with the right elements of design, and at the same time still conveys its underlying concept. Sometimes the purpose of design can be pure aesthetic, however this kind of design usually can lack of its functionality and believability, hence may often look out of place.

SKETCHING.

The skill is used to visualize certain concept quickly especially in the earlier stages and where the concept is in exploration phase, concept needs to be solidified as quickly as possible before going for more refine designs to prevent the development of the project from going backwards. Which can usually be solved by increasing the quantity of concept exploration. Concept artists could utilize any type of medium like pencil or pen drawing, marker sketches, digital speedpainting or mixed media so long as the concept can be explored and communicated in the most effective manner with the shortest or specific time frame.

PRESENTATION.

Artist do not usually present their art like corporate people, since painting by itself should speak for itself. Also when the design can work without much explanation, it will add a lot of value to the narrative part of the production. Therefore, concept artists need to rely on their drawing and painting skills which includes the understanding of form, light, personality and other nuances, to bring the art where it can be presented, intrigue and convince the art director. Depending on the time given to the concept artists, the level of presentation varies but often more time was given for the finals as the art can be used for marketing and prints purposes.

CONCEPT ART

The main goal of Concept Art is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. In other words, it aims to convey the overall design vision rather than specify everything in exact terms right at the start.

"Art is anything you can get away with."

Andy Warhol

About Me

JAVIER SANTOS

CONCEPT ARTIST AND ILLUSTRATOR

Javier Santos was born in Ávila (Spain) in 1983. Ever since he was a child, he has dreamed of becoming a great Artist. Javier began his career as a Concept Artist after attending Art Course of Design in Madrid, where he developed an interest in Illustration and Entertainment Design. Since 2010 he has worked as a freelancer Concept Artist for variuos films and video-games. His motivation, self-discipline, and a passion for design has allowed him a position in the industry.
Nowadays, Javier is working as freelance Illustrator and Concept Artist for medium publishers but he is currently seeking to expand his Client Base.

HOW I WORK

HARDWARE & SOFTWARE

I work commercially almost exclusively on PC (Windows 7 Professional, 3 GHz+, 8192 mb RAM)
Currently I am using a Wacom Intuos5 Pro L Tablet.
The Software I use are basically Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2014, ZBrush and Photoshop CC.
It is important to remember that programs are just tools. The two most important parts
of what I do are Good Design and Good Composition.

CONCEPT ART

CONCEPT ART

I make top-quality concept art and illustrations creating anything from characters to machines or environments, from sci-fi through contemporary to fantasy, from cartoonish to industrial or photo-realistic. I also provide 2d and 3d concepts, and also make 3d sculpting.

ILLUSTRATION

ILLUSTRATION

Besides creating illustrations within our filmmaking pipeline, I also support marketing divisions by rendering artwork for covers, posters or anything you could imagine. I provide everything from cartoonish to industrial or photo-realistic.

STORYBOARD

STORYBOARD

Creating the storyboard is essential and I do it for each production I make. This is to have a clear view for the whole team involved thus determine the quality of the project. Based upon this, I try to optimize production cost by saving time and resources.

MATTE PAINTING

MATTE PAINTING

Create amazing environments, sets and landscapes beyond imagination are my main priorities. I meet details and quality standards of VXF/post-production for HD movies.

FAST DELIVERY

FAST DELIVERY

Proactivity is my nature. I like to ask the right questions and get the most out of a creative idea. And just as importantly, I deliver on time.